Remodel West partners with GreenQuest by Crystal Cabinetry.

RemodelWest, a Silicon Valley design and construction firm specializing in sustainable practices within the residential remodeling business has formed an alliance with Crystal Cabinetry of Princeton Minnesota, the leader in green cabinetry nationwide.
Crystal Cabinets is an early adopter of implementing green design and manufacturing practices for their sixty-two year old company and they are perfectly aligned with our principles here at Remodel West, says Bill Reid owner
Crystal has taken their commitment to sustainability so seriously that they recently achieved the coveted certification from the Forestry Stewardship Council known in the industry as FSC.  This huge miles stone is a testament…
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Studio Project Making Rapid Progress

Sheetrock has been completed and painting begins this week.  We decided to use Benjamin Moore paint because of their green product offerings.  BM has come out with a line called “Ben” that is a cost affective solution for those interested in using LOW VOC paints.  The Aura line is their top of the line but at $50.00+ per gallon it can add up real fast on a larger project.  Natura is their Zero VOC.  So we decided to use both the Ben and Natura lines in the new studio to try them out and to stay true to out Eco-Friendly studio.  The sheetrock finish inside the studio will now allow us to show our clients several different styles of texturing.  The interior front wall was constructed of a dated slump stone so I decided…
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Anatomy of Green Project

 By Bill Reid, Owner Remodel West   Much discussion goes on about green building but how does one go about applying the principles? Green Building is not just about solar panels and trendy materials but about applying logical responsible building practices that help our health and environment. Remodeling a home provides a multitude of opportunities and it starts with the removal of old materials known as deconstruction.  Here is a real life example of how a homeowner and contractor can put their green building philosophy to work.
 

 

This property is located at our home in Lake Almanor California. We will call is out Osprey Project named after a native bird in the area (see our mascot picture that I took on the property).

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GreenPoint by Bill Reid owner RemodelWest – LED Lighting

GreenPoint by RemodelWest

Energy Conservation and

LED Lighting

Bill Reid, CGR, CGBP

President

 

LED lighting is making its way into the mainstream of construction and remodeling projects today.  As the next generation of lighting for the home LED lighting is a big step from typical recessed incandescent lighting you probably have in your home.  If you have remodeled over the past few years the new building code has required a certain percentage of fluorescent in your kitchens and baths which has lead to install of fixtures that do not give off a desirable color of light or also known as CRI (Color Rendering Index).  Halogen bulbs will reach a CRI of the maximum of 100 where LED’s by Cree or reaching 94-96 and fluorescents…

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Bill Reid aquires CGBP (Certified Green Building Professional) certification from Build It Green.

With growing global environmental concerns the construction industry has become a key player in helping to solve the issues we face.  Build It Green ,a Northern California non-profit, has taken a leadership position in bringing residential remodeling and new construction businesses up to speed and Remodel West aka Cupertino Kitchen Design has joined.  In fact, local city and county jurisdictions are adopting their Green Point rating system.  Soon all large remodel projects and all new construction projects will require a certain amount of “Green Points”.

A large agenda of Build It Green is to educate industry professionals on the definition of Green Building and how to implement these practices.  As part of…

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Green Point by Bill Reid owner Remodel West – Paint

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Paint

By Bill Reid, President

 

Did you know that the paint you use in your home is toxic?  Indoor Air Quality is a primary element of green building and what type of paint you use can help.  That “new paint smell” is a sign of a high level of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the paint.  Inhaling these chemicals such as Formaldehyde can cause numerous respiratory and health issues.  TODAY there is a SOLUTION but be aware. 

To learn more visit www.RemodelWest.com/sustainability

 

(Text below accompanied with paragraph above is included in a “GreenPoint Spec sheet”.)  This will be our first of many sheets on individual items.

The term “LOW VOC” is beginning to be used in many products but it can be …

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